Electrolysis systems have been used for many years for permanent removal of hair from a patient's skin. Most electrolysis systems developed in the past and being used at present include a needle for selectively applying electrical energy to the patient's hair follicle after insertion of the needle into the follicle pore. A foot pedal has traditionally been used by the operator to control current flow through the needle once the operator feels that the needle is fully inserted into the pore. This has required a subjective determination on the part of the operator and a great amount of skill. While the shortwave energy, normally in the RF frequency range, could be controlled in duration by the pedal itself, more typically this energy is controlled to be a predetermined burst, i.e., limited in time and magnitude. Pilot lamps have been provided on numerous machines to allow the operator to determine when energy ceases to be applied. The amount of the energy applied to the needle has usually been preset and constant in magnitude, although a control has normally been provided on the panel of the machines for preselecting that energy level.
While modest attempts to automate the electrolysis process have been made, such as through the automatic limiting of the period during which energy is applied, most systems continue to require substantial manipulation and dexterity on the part of the operator and most systems still involve substantial discomfort to the patient and a danger of skin damage when in the hands of an inexperienced or unskilled operator.